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Peach and Beet Watercress Salad with a Multi-Seed Dukkah

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Just a quick check-in today with a salad we made for lunch during the week that turned out especially lovely.
I recently revisited one of my favorite dessert recipes on this blog, the Sweet Dukkah Cigars. I enjoyed them so much, that I was inspired to make a savory dukkah to have for sprinkling on various salads and soups for the weeks to come. Traditionally, dukkah is an Egyptian spice, herb and nut mix, served as a dip for bread. Ours is packed with nuts (almonds and pistachios), seeds (sesame, chia, pumpkin), and invigorating spices (cardamom, cumin, coriander), and it can serve as the perfect finishing touch for a variety of dishes.
This salad came together pretty effortlessly, thanks to the abundance of colorful summer produce, which doesn’t need much to taste amazing. There are steamed, multicolored beets, juicy, sweet peaches, spicy watercress, creamy avocado, and a refreshing mint vinaigrette. The dukkah contributes an extra punch of flavor and crunch. It’s vibrant, seasonal food, just the way we all like it :)
Below are some links to things we’ve enjoyed looking at on the internet these past couple of weeks. Have a great Sunday.

Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert – we love that so many inspiring people have podcasts nowadays, since they are our favorite thing to listen to while cooking. Just discovered this one from author Elizabeth Gilbert.

4-6 small beets - cut into wedges (we used a combination of red and golden beets)

2-4 ripe peaches or nectarines - sliced

about 4 oz watercress or other salad greens

1 ripe avocado - sliced or cubed

mint vinaigrette - from above

multi-seed dukkah - from above

mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

to make the multi-seed dukkah

Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C). Spread almonds on a baking tray, place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes.

Add the sesame, pumpkin and chia seeds to the tray with the almonds and toast for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Toast the cardamom, cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for a couple minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat and grind the spices in a mortar and pestle or a spice/coffee grinder.

Combine the toasted almonds and seeds, ground spices, pistachios and salt in a food processor and pulse until most of the nuts/seeds are broken dow, with some bigger pieces remaining. Set aside.

to make the vinaigrette

Combine the lemon juice and mustard in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add the olive oil and whisk until fully combined. Mix in the mint leaves. Set aside.

to make the salad

Steam the beets in a bamboo steamer or in a steaming basket over a pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes, or until beets are soft. Let cool for safe handling. The beets should peel easily once cooked or you can even leave the skin on, if they are organic.

Divide the watercress between plates, arrange the beets, peaches and avocado on top. Drizzle the salads with the mint vinaigrette and sprinkle with the dukkah. Garnish with more mint leaves, if using.